Mailing envelopes



Nov. 8, 1955 H. M. WHITMAN MAILING ENVELOPES Filed Oct. 24, 1952 FICBI FICBZ FIGLB IN\/ N TOR H. M. WH|TMAN wa TTORNEY United States Patent MAILING ENVELOPES Harlan M. Whitman, West Hartford, Conn., assignor to Curtis 1000, Incorporated, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Minnesota Application October 24, 1952, Serial No. 316,586

3 Claims. (Cl. 22969) This invention relates to mailing envelopes of paper and more particularly to business and correspondence envelopes arranged in a continuous series adapted for feeding them mechanically and successively by a pin wheel feeding mechanism or other device to an addressing or other form of machine.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a continuous series of envelopes maintained in spaced relation to each other by perforated feeding tapes attached thereto on opposite sides, the feeding tapes and portions of the envelope to which they are attached being adapted for easy separation from the envelopes after addressing, sealing, etc.

A feature of importance of the invention is that in the envelope blank as cut from a sheet, supplemental flaps are provided at opposite ends in addition to those used for sealing the back panel, so that when the envelope is formed by the conventional folding operation the supplemental flaps will extend beyond the opposite ends of the envelope.

Another feature of importance of the invention is that the supplemental flaps are attached to the perforated feeding tapes, there being a line of snap out perforations between the body of the envelopes so that the supplemental flaps and the tapes may be readily removed from the body of the envelope.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may include the features of construction and operation set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown the invention embodied in a series of slightly separated conventional business envelopes, but it will be understood that the invention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the blank for one of the envelopes of the series before being folded;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of a series of envelope made according to the present invention and attached to their feeding tapes supplemental flaps, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing one of the perforated tapes being separated from the envelope.

In the above mentioned drawing, there has been shown but one embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the ap- Ipended claims without departing from the spirit of the "invention.

Referring more in detail to the and first to Fig. 1, it will be seen an envelope comprises a front panel 10, a back panel 12, a sealing flap 14, extensions 16 at opposite ends of the front panel for attachment to the back panel 12 to form the standard form of mailing envelope for busifigures of the drawing that the blank forming 2,723,076 Patented Nov. -8, 1 955 ness and other purposes. "In addition *to iflaps 1'6-supplemental flaps or extensions 18 -are'provided extending laterally from the opposite ends of the back panel 12. It will be seen that the envelope blank is folded after being gummed in the usual manner for either first or third class mailing and when so folded has the unfolded and preferably unsealed supplementary flaps 1'8 outstanding from opposite ends of the envelope. Between these supplemental flaps 18 and the back panel 12 are lines of perforations 20 permitting easy separation of the supplemental flaps 18 from the complete envelope.

After the envelopes have been gummed and folded and with the flaps or extensions 16 sealed to the back panel in the conventional manner, tapes 22 are sealed to the extensions 18 as shown in Fig. 2. The tapes 22 are provided adjacent one of their edges with equally spaced circular perforations 24 adapting the tape 22 to pass over pin type feeding wheels, the pins of which enter the perforations 24. The extensions or supplemental flaps 18 as shown are sealed to the tapes 22 along the opposite edges of the tapes 22 with the envelopes slightly spaced apart as shown in Fig. 2.

The series of envelopes as shown in Fig. 2 are fed into an addressing, printing or other type of machine by means of the perforated strips 22 on opposite sides of the series of envelopes and after being operated on the strips 22 and extensions 18 are separated from the envelopes one after the other along the lines of perforations 20. After separation of the extensions 18 from the back panel 12, each envelope becomes a standard business envelope ready for filling with the material to be mailed, sealing the flap 14 against the back panel 12 and mailing either as first or third class mail dependent upon the amount of gumming on one of the flaps 16 to the back panel 12. In the process of attaching the flaps or extensions 18 to the strips 22 the perforations 24 in the strips on opposite sides are placed in alignment with each other so that the series may be fed into the addressing or other machine. Sealing of the flaps 14 may take place before separating the tapes 22 from the envelopes or afterwards as the tapes in no way interfere with filling the envelopes with their contents or sealing the flap 14 ready for mailing.

It will be seen in Fig. 2 that the line of perforations 20 is so placed on panel 12 that when the envelope is separated from the tapes 22 and flaps 18 the torn edge of the panel 12 will lie within the border or edge of flap 16.

I claim as my invention:

1. A series of envelopes each having front and rear panels, a sealing flap and lateral extensions on one panel attached to the other panel, supplemental extensions on opposite ends of one of said panels, and tapes attached to said supplemental extensions to retain said envelopes in spaced relation to each other, said supplemental extensions being removable with said tapes to separate said envelopes.

2. A series of envelopes each having front and rear panels, a sealing flap and lateral extensions on one panel attached to the other panel, supplemental extensions on opposite ends of one of said panels, lines of perforations between said panel and supplemental extensions, and tapes attached to said supplemental extensions to retain said envelopes in spaced relation to each other, said supplemental extensions being removable with said tapes to separate said envelopes.

3. A series of envelopes each having front and rear panels, a sealing flap and lateral extensions on one panel attached to the other panel, supplemental extensions on opposite ends of one of said panels, lines of perforations between said panel and supplemental extensions, said lines of perforations being disposed within the fold line between said first mentioned extensions and the panel to References Cited in the file of this patent which said first mentioned extensions are attached, and UNITED STATES PATENTS tapes attached to said supplemental extensions to retain said envelopes in spaced relation to each other, said sup- 1157432 Slmpson et a1 1915 plemental extensions being removable with said tapes 5 1434'097 Conner 1922 to separate Said envelopes 1,710,603 Ben n to Apr. 23, 1929 2,013,844 Sherman Sept. 10, 1935 2,338,922 Fleming- Ian. 11, 1944 

